1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fishing line guide mechanism, more specifically, to a spinning-reel fishing line guide mechanism configured to guide a fishing line onto a spool, which is attached to a distal end of a first rotor arm and configured to pivot between a fishing line guide posture and a fishing line release posture.
2. Background Information
Spinning reels normally include a fishing line guide mechanism attached to a distal end of a rotor for guiding a fishing line onto a spool. The rotor includes a cylindrical portion, a first rotor arm, and a second rotor arm. The cylindrical portion is rotatably attached to a reel unit. The first and second rotor arms are integrally formed while being opposed to each other in the rear part of the cylindrical part. The fishing line guide mechanism is attached to the distal ends of the first and second rotor arms while being configured to pivot between a fishing line guide posture and a fishing line release posture. The fishing line guide mechanism of the aforementioned type includes a first support member, a second support member, and a bail. The first support member is pivotably attached to the first rotor arm, whereas the second support member is pivotably attached to the distal end of the second rotor arm. The bail couples the first and second support members. Further, a line roller, a fixation shaft, and a fixation shaft cover are attached to the distal end of the first support member. The line roller is configured to guide a fishing line. A pair of the fixation shaft and the fixation shaft cover is configured to support the line roller. One end of the bail is fixed to the fixation shaft cover, whereas the other end of the bail is fixed to the second support member by means of caulking. For example, the aforementioned structure is described in Japan Laid-open Patent Application Publication Nos. JP-A-2000-102334 and JP-A-H10-234277.
In a fishing line guide mechanism described in Publication No. JP-A-2000-102334, a line roller is a tubular member rotatably attached to the outer peripheries of a fixation shaft and a fixation shaft cover, both of which are fixed to the distal end of a first support member by means of a bolt member. Further, a lubricant, e.g., lubricating oil, is supplied to the inner periphery of the line roller for smooth rotation of the line roller.
In a fishing line guide mechanism described in Publication No. JP-A-H10-234277, on the other hand, a first support member is pivotably attached to the distal end of a first rotor arm by means of a bolt member, i.e., an attachment pin, screwed therein, whereas a second support member is pivotably attached to the distal end of a second rotor arm by means of a bolt member, i.e., an attachment pin, screwed therein. A lubricant, e.g., lubricating oil, is supplied between the first support member and the distal end of the first rotor arm for smooth pivoting of the first support member. Similarly, a lubricant, e.g., lubricating oil, is supplied between the second support member and the distal end of the second rotor arm for smooth pivoting of the second support member.
According to the fishing line guide mechanism described in Publication No. JP-A-2000-102334, the lubricant is supplied to the inner periphery of the line roller under a condition in which a pair of the fixation shaft and the fixation shaft cover is disassembled by removing the bolt member from the first support member. In this case, the pair of the fixation shaft and the fixation shaft cover is required to be disassembled every time lubricant is supplied to the line roller. Further, some components forming the line roller, e.g., the bolt member, are normally small. When disassembling the fixation shaft and the fixation shaft cover, an angler may lose the line-roller related components and/or reassemble the disassembled components in a wrong assembling order and/or in wrong assembling orientations.
According to the well-known fishing line guide mechanism described in Publication No. JP-A-H10-234277, on the other hand, the lubricant is supplied between the first support member and the distal end of the first rotor arm under a condition in which the first support member is disassembled from the first rotor arm by removing the bolt member from the distal end of the first rotor arm. In this case, the first support member is required to be disassembled from the first rotor arm every time the lubricant is supplied. In many cases, the bolt member is tightly fastened therein with a high torque for preventing the bolt member from being loosened while rewinding the fishing line with a heavy load. When an angler removes the bolt member for disassembling the first support member, a tool-engaged portion of the bolt member may be damaged and/or the bolt member may be easily loosened due to lack of torque required to fasten the bolt member when reassembling the first support member. Further, when the first support member is strongly pulled while disassembling the first support member, the first support member may be deformed. This may result in an imbalance in rotation of the rotor.
In view of the above, the present invention addresses a need for producing a spinning-reel fishing line guide mechanism that easily supplies a lubricant onto or in the inner periphery of the line roller without disassembling the first support member and/or a pair of the fixation shaft and the fixation shaft cover.
Further, the present invention addresses a need for producing a spinning-reel fishing line guide mechanism to supply easily a lubricant between the first support member and the first rotor arm without disassembling the first support member and the first rotor arm.
This invention addresses these needs in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.